Clamp



(No Model.)

J. A. FITZGERALD.

CLAMP.

No. 371,310. Patented 001:. 11,1887.

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mwa/vv UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. FITZGERALD, OE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CL/WIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,310, dated October l1, 1887.

Application filed March 26, 1887.

.To @ZZ whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, J AMEs A. FITZGERALD, ofPhiladelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clamps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in clamps, and more particularly to a device of that character that may be employed to hold articles of various forms while undergoing repairs by gluing joints, the object being to afford a clamp that will be universal in its application, easy to afiii in position, capable of rigid adjustment at any desired point, and instant release from such adjustment.

A further object is to provide a furniture or other clamp that is of simple, durable construction and low cost of production.

With these objects in view my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts,that will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings making a part of this specification, Figure l is a side view of the clamp. Fig. 2 is an end view of the device.

Arepresents the frame of the clamp. This is preferably made of metal. It is constructed having two parallel sides, A', of proper width, and an integrallyformed rear end that is at right angles to the sides. The forward portion has divergent jaws A3', made to extend from the sides A and converge toward each other at suitable angles to join the outer surface of .these jaws squarely, as shown in Fig. l.

At opposite points, near the centers of the side walls of the clamp, proper-sized perforations are made in these sides A to receive the shaft B, which is machine-nished to give it a true cylindrical form.

The ends of the shaft B are made to project beyond the outer surface of the frame A, the body of the shaft being enlarged at c, which is one of these projections, to produce ashoulder, c, that has a bearing against the outer surface of the side of the frame A. A crank, B', is furnished with a handle, B2, removably Serial No. 231560. (No model.)

secured to the outer end of the shaft B,a screwthread being cut on a reduced part of the projection c to accommodate the erankhandle.

The opposite end of the shalt B, that extends Voutside of the frame, is preferably squared to t a square hole made in t-he ratchet-wheel C, which is placed on it, and there retained by a threaded nut, d, that tightlyjams the wheel against the shoulders of the squared portion of the shaft B, in a manner to permit the easy rotation of this shaft by its handle.

A pawl, C', is pivoted to latch into the teeth of the wheel C, and is made to have a yielding contact with this wheel by the impingement of the plate-spring C2, which is firmly attached to the frame A.

The body ofthe shaft B has two perforations, e c, made through it of a proper proportionate diameter, that are adapted to receive a neatlyfitting cord or rope, D.

The rear end, A2, of the frame Ais provided with two holes, a a, of same diameter as that of the holes c in shaft B. The holes c c are conntersnnk or rounded on their edges to prevent an abrasion of the rope D, which is made to extend through them. At point-s b b in the bent front portions of the sides ofthe frame A are the holes b, the latter being also rounded on their edges to permit a free passage of the rope D, which is inserted therein previous to its insertion through the holes e in the shaft B.

The rope or cord D is of such durable character as to withstand a strain within the capacity of the machine to produce, and has its free ends extended a proper distance outside the holes a a, the rope ends being iirst passed through the holes b, then into holes c e in the shaft B, thence through the holes a a, and in this manner form a loop of the rope opposite the crotched portion of the frame A, produced by the free divergent ends A3 of the same.

In use the device is placed with its crotch against a portion of the article to be operated upon, the rope D is placed to encompass the portion of the article to be clamped, and the free ends of the rope are drawn to take up all the slack possible. A rotation of the shaft B by means of its crank-handle will bite the rope in the holes e by reason of its contact with the sharp edges of these holes. A continuation of the operation just described will forcibly tighten the Vcontact of the looped portion of the rope about the Vpiece to be clamped, and this enforced contact will be secured from relaxing until desired by the action ofthe ratchetwheel C and its engaged pawl C.

It is apparent that the application of this simple device is universal, as it can be made to clamp any object about which a rope canbe placed, and if it is necessary to have the surface of compression extended broader than the ropes diameter, it can be readily effected by the interposition of pieces of board. Blocks or any other article having a flat or curved surface may be used as elampingjacks,which may be clamped upon the object to be subjected to compression in an obvious manner.

Having Yfully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a portable clamp, the combination,

with a frame one end ot' which is provided.

having parallel sides, a rear end at right 2. In a clanip,the combination,with a frame angles to the sides, and a crotched front end, the frame being perforated for the passage of a cord or rope at tWo point-s in its rear and front walls, of a transverse shaft journaled in the sides of the frame, the shaft being perforated to receive a cord or rope at two points, and a cord or rope inserted through the holes in the frame and shaft, substantially as set forth. y

3. In a clamp, the combination,with a frame having parallel sides, a rear end square with the sides, and a crotched front end, all made integral withthe frame, a cross-shaft having perforations for the passage of the cord or rope, a crank-handle, a ratchet-wheel, pawl, and spring, ofa cord or rope adapted to clamp an object by the revolution of the shaft and the retaining action of theratchet-wheeLpaWl,

and spring, the said cord or rope'passing V loosely through the shaft and adapted to be adjusted to suit articles of different sizes and be locked to the shaft by the rotation of the latter, substantially as set forth.

ln testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES A. FITZGERALD.

Witnesses:

PATRICK MCCARRON, JEREMIAH F. DONOVAN. 

